#040

Increase
in number of students slows due to tightened visa regulations,
reflecting national trend

SAN FRANCISCO, November 6, 2003 -- San Francisco State
University remains an increasingly hot destination for students
from more than 100 countries across the globe, despite the
tightened regulations for obtaining student visas established
after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Figures
released Monday by the Institute of International Education
illustrate that SFSU has more international students
than any other
master's degree-granting institution in the United States except
City University of New York-Baruch College, according to 2002-03 figures.
It is the third consecutive year that SFSU is ranked No. 2.

The
number of matriculated international students at SFSU increased
by 1.6 percent over last fall to reach 2,267. The University's international
student population has grown for eight consecutive years and more
than doubled since 1994.

The
1.6 percent increase, however, is SFSU's smallest in years,
as the international student population jumped by more
than 10 percent
as recently as 2000-2001. The smaller increase reflects a national
trend as reported in the Institute of International Education report,
which states an overall increase of less than 1 percent at colleges
and universities nationwide in 2002-03.

Yenbo
Wu, SFSU director of international programs, attributes
the smaller increase at SFSU to the new regulations and
delays in obtaining student
visas. This has caused many students to not receive their visas in
time to enter an American college or university this fall. As a result,
more foreign students are seeking to study abroad in other English
speaking countries such as England or Australia.

"I have no doubt in my mind that the measures taken by the U.S.
government to fight terrorism have affected international student enrollment
negatively," Wu said. "More international students are
finding San Francisco State to be a welcoming, wonderful university
in a wonderful city. We hope to continue to accommodate as many of
them as possible."

A
welcome reception for international students will be held
from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, in the Vista Room, located
on the fourth
floor of Burk Hall on the SFSU campus, as part of the University's
celebration of International Education Week. SFSU President Robert
A. Corrigan and the SFSU Office of International Programs will host
the reception. Reporters are welcome to attend the reception, which
is expected to draw a large crowd of international students.

SFSU
international students represent 114 countries of origin.
The University
remains a top destination for students from
Asian countries. This fall they comprise 72.9 percent of the
University's international student body. Japan still
tops the list with 464 students, as it has since SFSU began
tracking countries of origin in 1994. The other top countries
of origin are Taiwan (282 students), South Korea (156), mainland
China (146), Indonesia (133) and India (112).

Business
administration remains the most popular field of study (365
students), followed by computer science (181), international
business (107), and business computer information systems (89).

Of
the 2,267 matriculated international students, 899 are graduate
students. For some countries, graduate students significantly
outnumber undergraduates. For example, there are 91 graduate
students from India, compared to 21 undergraduates. There
are 59 graduate students from Thailand, compared to 18 undergraduates.

Matriculated
students do not include those enrolled through SFSU's College of Extended Learning or American Language
Institute, as well as some other short-term visitors, students
and scholars.

For
more information on SFSU international programs, call (415)
338-1293 or visit: www.sfsu.edu/~oip.

One
of the largest campuses in the CSU system, SFSU was founded
in 1899 and today is a highly diverse, comprehensive, public
and urban
university.

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NOTE:
Yenbo Wu, SFSU director of international programs, may
be contacted directly at
(415) 338-6377 or ywu@sfsu.edu. To
schedule interviews with SFSU international students, contact Matt
Itelson of the SFSU Office of Public Affairs
at (415) 338-1743 or matti@sfsu.edu.
Reporters may also interview students at the welcome reception from
4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, in the Vista
Room (fourth floor of Burk Hall) on the SFSU campus, located at 1600
Holloway Ave. (at 19th Avenue) in San Francisco.